evgeny grinko

zhukovsky

Struggles stopped writing verse; / Singing stopped me fighting wars

Мне борьба мешала быть поэтом, / Песни мне мешали быть бойцом

Nikolay Nekrasov, “To Zina” (1876)

Evgeny Grinko comes from the suburbs of Moscow, namely the grey town of Zhukovsky, made famous by the Soviets for aeronautical research. His musical trajectory has been one of Russia’s most intriguing. A youthful fan of punk, he would become a drummer for some of the nation’s best improvisational rock bands of the 2000s. At this time, he was operating very far from convention.

In recent years, however, he has gained international appeal at the other end of the musical spectrum. Simple, brief, and melodic instrumentals now predominate, which Grinko himself refers to as “naive.” “My newest material may involve some distant echoes of rock- and pop music, but in essence they’re just naive compositions made of a string quartet, accordion, and and upright piano. I deliberately avoided complicating their sound or trying to make things more attractive, even. From the outset I wanted everything to be basic and natural.”

“The tracks were recorded in Portugal––in Lisbon. Over there everything is warmer, sunnier, and cheaper––which is also important!” Several aspects of these recent works, maximally far from improvised discord, suggest their appeal lies in their uniqueness. Simplicity, warmth, and affordable sunshine may all be in scant supply in Zhukovsky. And so they inspire pensive, beautiful music.

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